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Lionsgate made a major impact by showcasing an action-packed lineup of upcoming films, franchise expansions, and new IPs. Some of the biggest highlights included first looks at John Wick spin-off Ballerina, Francis Lawrence’s Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, and The Housemaid based on the popular best-selling novel of the same name.
Neon a studio that is surely making a name for itself, with recently earning a best picture win for the film Anora, has a number of titles due for release this year. Here’s a list of the following:
Neon’s upcoming slate include:
– Splitsville starring Dakota Johnson
– Keeper Oz Perkins fall release
– Upcoming Boots Riley film with I Love Boosters with Demi Moore
– The Wrong Girls – a stoner comedy with Seth Rogen and Kristen Stewart
Remarks from Cinema United industry professionals were mentioned, but one of the most notable quotes came from CEO Michael O’Leary who is advocating for a longer window for movies to stay in theaters. Nothing short of 45 days to be exact. He also believes, “we should not present see at home options while the film is still in the theaters.”
Ana de Armas came on stage to present her film Ballerina. She discussed the high-intensity training that went into her role. BGN chatted with her in an interview at CinemaCon and you can catch more of her remarks about the film below:
Mark Hamill, Francis Lawrence and David Jonsson came onstage to chat about The Long Walk. This is one of the rare moments we see Mark Hamill play a villain in major role.
Actor David Jonsson, who is having a stellar moment this past year with films such as Alien: Romulus and Rye Lane, spoke of Mark’s character as being not a likeable person, but it was so hard because Mark himself is someone he liked so much. David also added said it was a grueling set to work on. The Long Walk premieres in theaters Sept 12th. The trailer is pretty intense, the best way to describe it is if Hunger Games and Speed had a baby, they would produce this.
Speaking of Hunger Games, Francis Lawrence was back onstage to talk about the next installment Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping which releases in theaters November 20 2026. CinemaCon attendees left the presentation with a free copy of Suzanne Collins’ latest book.
Luca Guadagnino was on video chatting about his American Psycho movie but mentioned he’s traveling and will arrive later to CinemaCon. It’s likely to promote his film After The Hunt.
There was more John Wick news, including a confirmed anime prequel and another sequel. John Wick 5 is indeed happening! Donnie Yen is also set to direct and reprise his role in John Wick: Chapter 4 as Caine for a spinoff film, which begins production in Hong Kong later this year.
The Aziz Ansari movie Good Fortune comes out this Fall.
It was also announced there would be no Michael footage screened at CinemaCon. Micheal Jackson’s biopic only got a mention and no other information was shared. There were no poster displays at CinemaCon for the title either.
Power Ballad with Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas and the two actors show they have great chemistry on screen based on the trailer screened at CinemaCon.
The release date for Now You See Me Now You Don’t is November, 14, 2025.
Paul Feig, Sydney Sweeney, Brandon Skelnar and Amanda Seyfried came onstage to present The Housemaid. Amanda Seyfried says, “We created some really wacky shit”. And Brandon Skelnar adds, “Andrew is pretty fuckin unhinged”.
Jenna Ortega came on stage for Hurry Up Tomorrow she describes the premise of the film is psychological. Also described as a “singular cinematic experience” the film Hurry Up Tomorrow will premiere in theaters May 16.
The film also stars The Weeknd, who came on stage in a surprise pop-up live performance on stage performing one of his most notable singles “Blinding Lights”.
And the presentation ends with a musical performance along with some exciting titles coming our way from Lionsgate and Neon.
The post The Lionsgate Presentation at CinemaCon appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.
Lionsgate made a major impact by showcasing an action-packed lineup of upcoming films, franchise expansions, and new IPs. Some of the biggest highlights included first looks at John Wick spin-off Ballerina, Francis Lawrence’s Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, and The Housemaid based on the popular best-selling novel of the same name.
Neon a studio that is surely making a name for itself, with recently earning a best picture win for the film Anora, has a number of titles due for release this year. Here’s a list of the following:
Neon’s upcoming slate include:
– Splitsville starring Dakota Johnson
– Keeper Oz Perkins fall release
– Upcoming Boots Riley film with I Love Boosters with Demi Moore
– The Wrong Girls – a stoner comedy with Seth Rogen and Kristen Stewart
Remarks from Cinema United industry professionals were mentioned, but one of the most notable quotes came from CEO Michael O’Leary who is advocating for a longer window for movies to stay in theaters. Nothing short of 45 days to be exact. He also believes, “we should not present see at home options while the film is still in the theaters.”
Ana de Armas came on stage to present her film Ballerina. She discussed the high-intensity training that went into her role. BGN chatted with her in an interview at CinemaCon and you can catch more of her remarks about the film below:
Mark Hamill, Francis Lawrence and David Jonsson came onstage to chat about The Long Walk. This is one of the rare moments we see Mark Hamill play a villain in major role.
Actor David Jonsson, who is having a stellar moment this past year with films such as Alien: Romulus and Rye Lane, spoke of Mark’s character as being not a likeable person, but it was so hard because Mark himself is someone he liked so much. David also added said it was a grueling set to work on. The Long Walk premieres in theaters Sept 12th. The trailer is pretty intense, the best way to describe it is if Hunger Games and Speed had a baby, they would produce this.
Speaking of Hunger Games, Francis Lawrence was back onstage to talk about the next installment Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping which releases in theaters November 20 2026. CinemaCon attendees left the presentation with a free copy of Suzanne Collins’ latest book.
Luca Guadagnino was on video chatting about his American Psycho movie but mentioned he’s traveling and will arrive later to CinemaCon. It’s likely to promote his film After The Hunt.
There was more John Wick news, including a confirmed anime prequel and another sequel. John Wick 5 is indeed happening! Donnie Yen is also set to direct and reprise his role in John Wick: Chapter 4 as Caine for a spinoff film, which begins production in Hong Kong later this year.
The Aziz Ansari movie Good Fortune comes out this Fall.
It was also announced there would be no Michael footage screened at CinemaCon. Micheal Jackson’s biopic only got a mention and no other information was shared. There were no poster displays at CinemaCon for the title either.
Power Ballad with Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas and the two actors show they have great chemistry on screen based on the trailer screened at CinemaCon.
The release date for Now You See Me Now You Don’t is November, 14, 2025.
Paul Feig, Sydney Sweeney, Brandon Skelnar and Amanda Seyfried came onstage to present The Housemaid. Amanda Seyfried says, “We created some really wacky shit”. And Brandon Skelnar adds, “Andrew is pretty fuckin unhinged”.
Jenna Ortega came on stage for Hurry Up Tomorrow she describes the premise of the film is psychological. Also described as a “singular cinematic experience” the film Hurry Up Tomorrow will premiere in theaters May 16.
The film also stars The Weeknd, who came on stage in a surprise pop-up live performance on stage performing one of his most notable singles “Blinding Lights”.
And the presentation ends with a musical performance along with some exciting titles coming our way from Lionsgate and Neon.
The post The Lionsgate Presentation at CinemaCon appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.
Shinichirō Watanabe is responsible for some of the best anime of the last three decades.
Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Carole & Tuesday are on the top of my list of best anime for newcomers to the format right up there with Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Haikyuu. Y’all have been here long enough to know when I’m invoking those two, it’s *real* good. But these are series that need little to no introduction. When I type Tank!, a nontrivial amount of you are currently hearing a series of brass instruments followed by “Okay, three, two, one, let’s jam” followed by more brass.
You are more than likely here because you already know that Watanabe is one of the greats and this is his first project in six years, and it’s got Chad Stahelski of John Wick fame directing the action sequences, more jazz, and animation from MAPPA.
Lazarus, by pedigree alone, was always going to be good, so the question that is really on everyone’s mind is Lazarus going to be great?
I’ve watched the first five episodes, and my answer is a solid “maybe.”
The moment the show starts, the animation is ethereal and atmospheric. The opening narration quickly explains the premise of the show: Dr. Skinner released Hapna, the best painkiller ever developed to the world, and then vanished for a bit, before coming back and informing the world that anyone who took the drug was gonna end up dead unless they manage to find him. This exposition is prologued with the following line:
“If you find yourself unable to feel, then that is no different than being dead.”
And then the jazz kicks in, and it very much feels like a homecoming, especially when we meet our poster child, Axel Gilberto. Axel is in line with your typical Watanabe protagonist, although perhaps borrowing a few more moves from the Mugen school of acrobatics while still maintaining the swagger of Spike Spiegel.
Your pilot is a typical pilot, an introduction to the world and to the cast at a very high level. It’s entertaining enough, and the end credits countdown the number of days left to find Skinner before it all goes to hell.
The next few episodes manage to texture the world further as different characters provide different perspectives on their interaction with Hapna. And the sense of worldbuilding is fantastic. The 2050s set pieces manage to feel grounded while showing off a sleek futuristic sense of style and spectacle between all the slickly designed tech, whether it’s massive drones or new age motorcycles. You can believe that this is a world where such a powerful and mysterious drug can be developed, and you can just as easily believe the world’s reaction to the revelation that there is a mass extinction event on the horizon.
The titular Lazarus team is brought together with a little Suicide Squad magic. Everyone’s got some red in their ledger, and some are there voluntarily trying to get rid of it and some are there because it’s mandatory. The team of five is your typical composition of 3 men and 2 women, with four field agents and one running tech support from home base. The first string of episodes shows them in a wide variety of scenarios and shenanigans all in service of their primary mission, with each character getting to pepper in details here and there about their backstory and personality.
Is the main cast likable? Absolutely. Do they radiate a certain aura of cool? You bet they do. Are they still a little archetypical? Unfortunately.
Whereas Cowboy Bebop introduced their principle cast of four over 9 episodes (yeah, Faye showing up in 3 makes perfect sense, but it is wild that Ed doesn’t show up until *episode 9*) and Samurai Champloo and Carole & Tuesday had naturally smaller casts, Lazarus doesn’t generate that same level of endearment for its characters. Axel, Doug, Chris, Leland, and Eleina are entertaining to watch, but their shared screen time in pursuit of solving the grand serialized mystery leave me with only their vibe. Lots of things are implied, but nothing is really known, which can work to a degree, but Axel being a serial prison escapee is nowhere near as iconic as his predecessors.
All that said, Lazarus does stand out in pretty much every other field. The soundtrack is aural bliss, and the action scenes are everything you ever wanted from the vision of Watanabe and the direction of Stahelski. The John Wick DNA is evident and present, and we are thankful for it. The hand to hand is superb, the gun play is clean, the parkour is so much fun to watch. When the characters are in their bag, functionally being superheroes or superspies, the show sings. MAPPA’s animation is so good I continue to wonder how they keep managing to produce the sheer number of high-quality projects that they do. I was enthralled by each episode, so I can forgive the first five episodes for not quite getting their footing for their ambitious scale.
The entire premise of the story comes at a very specific time in our own history, where we are dealing with the aftermath of an opioid crisis and an insurance industry that actively seems indifferent to us. It’s telling that this is the second series that Adult Swim has put out this year about a so-called miracle drug (and you should definitely be watching Common Side Effects, especially since the second season has been confirmed). And that premise is inherently fascinating to me, and why I’m more than willing to keep watching the sleek spectacle.
Lazarus has a solid foundation, a compelling myth arc, clever storytelling, and a cast that needs just a few more dedicated scenes to their own backstory to really sell them. Lazarus also lives in the shadows cast by its predecessor series, some of the most iconic in anime. And only time will tell how far out it will make it, but it does have a decent running start.
Lazarus premieres 4/5 @ midnight on Toonami on Adult Swim, next day on Max.
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The post Saving the World from Big Pharma Never Looked So Slick – ‘Lazarus’ Review appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.